Life is full of ups and downs! The trick is to enjoy the ups and have courage during the downs, but what happens when people label the racquet sport as almost equivalent to one’s life? Well, the same theory applies here as well! “Tennis is just one of those sports that you’re not going to have a perfect week every week,” says Ben Shelton. Some days you win and some days you lose. So, it’s very important to maintain stability throughout the journey to get success in the long term.

This 21-year-old American tennis star became a pro in 2022 and since then, there have been times when he failed to win on a trot, but then this same guy made it to the QF of the 2023 AO and SF of the 2023 US Open. Reflecting on how to maintain stability throughout these ups and downs Ben Shelton said, “I’ve had several what people would consider setbacks on tour. Last year everyone was talking about me not winning two consecutive matches in a row for the middle part of the year, then the semis of the US Open.” Shelton has managed to win only one title so far this season!

Last year was pretty much “crazy” for Ben Shelton! Adding on the same note during a press conference at the Citi Open, Shelton said, “Tennis is just one of those sports that you’re not going to have a perfect week every week. It’s all about your 52 weeks, that body of work. That’s what I’m looking forward to and trying to get right.”

He is all set to play his first match on the hard court since the Miami Open in Washington, D.C. He’ll lead his compatriots as the top-ranked American in this tournament. Shelton thinks he has improved a lot since last year and he’ll be keen to build on a winning momentum here before entering the US Open in the next month.

However, if we take a closer look, his improvement is clearly visible through these stats: In the 2022 season, his win percentage was 50%, a year later it crept up to 51% and now it has reached 59%. Although the progress has been relatively slow, he has shown signs of improvement over the last few months. It has been almost 17 years since an American lifted the title here in Washington. Can Ben Shelton be the one we are looking for? Time will tell, but he has always been very meticulous about his goals.

“I have a lot of developmental goals for 2024” – Ben Shelton

Ben Shelton’s father, Bryan Shelton has always told him that there are going to be obstacles and tough times in the journey. There will be times when things won’t go as smoothly as he’d have wanted, but “You learn from both and if you do that, then there are no negatives, there are only positives,” said Bryan Shelton.

According to Ben’s father, “You win a match, what did you learn? You lose a match, what did you learn? Just keep pushing forward and take it slow. We’re not in any hurry.” Ben Shelton has been following his family’s process-oriented strategy since his childhood and this is what perhaps keeps him a bit reserved while expressing too much about his goals.

He knows winning a tournament doesn’t make you a champion for a lifetime! To become a champion, one needs to perform on the top level with a perfect amount of consistency. A little here and there would result in backlashes from the ones who desire to see him fail. So, while reflecting on his goals for the 2024 season he had earlier revealed, “I have a lot of developmental goals for 2024, things that I want to see improve in my game.”

However, when it came to the result-based goals, Ben Shelton preferred to keep mum! Because he feels there is no winning in the media. No matter whether you set your goals too high or too low, people are always going to give you a hard time, so it’s better to let them know at the end of the year!